Konyango Village Traders Self-Help Group

Mary A. is a young Kenyan mother, aged 30, with 2 children. She lives with 1 orphan child of her late sister who perished 2 years ago. Mary started her business 3 years ago after accumulating savings from her former work place. She currently deals in ladies' second-hand shoes but would like to diversify to children's and men’s collection as well. Being the bread winner for the family, it would enable her to support her children and her husband, who does not have a job. During the low business season, Mary is at times forced to sell fruit juice, which she makes in her house and sells to her regular customers, mostly women.

With the little profit that she gets from the business, Mary still struggles to pay the house rent and to feed, clothe and educate her children. But with the help of her loan, Mary will be able to increase her stock of shoes and increase her monthly sales. Mary’s long term business vision is to diversify her business and sell new shoes to her customers.

Disclaimer: Due to recent events in Kenya, the security situation in many communities remains unsettled, affecting many local businesses. Lenders to this entrepreneur should be aware that this loan may represent a higher default risk, and should be willing to accept this additional risk in making their loan.

Additional Information

This is a Group Loan

In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.

Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.